1635 Han style rises again

On June 1673, 6, Jing'an Fort (now Davao City, Philippines).

After waiting for the ship to stabilize, Bi Shaode, the young minister of Honglu Temple in Qi State, walked ashore under the guidance of a naval officer.Immediately, I saw a group of military and civilian officials from Funing Fort eagerly greeted him.

"Is there any latest news from Yizhou (now Legazpi City, Philippines)?" After a while of pleasantries, Bi Shaode asked about the Weiguo.

"Half a month ago, news came from Runing (now Cebu City) that the situation there was stable for the time being, and all parties were relatively restrained, and no armed conflict had occurred yet." Commander An Guangyue of Funing Fort quickly replied: "More than 400 officers and soldiers of the Ninth Battalion of the Army stationed in Huining (now Zamboanga City) have entered Yizhou City at the request of Cheng Shiqi, the successor king of Weiguo. The Luzon Squadron also sent three warships to swim in the waters near Yizhou Cruise in case you need it."

"That's good if there is no trouble." Bi Shaode nodded, and then asked: "What's the matter with the Zheng family in Luzon?"

"In February, when the late King Wei died of a serious illness, the Zheng family of Luzon had mobilized the army and prepared to invade the country of Wei. However, after I sent people from the Luzon District to warn, they temporarily stopped their military operations. However, just in case, the Xinghua area (now Lucena City in the southeast of Luzon Island, Philippines) has mobilized for combat readiness and will keep an eye on the further movements of the two parties.”

"Hey, everyone is worried." Bi Shaode shook his head and said: "In this Luzon area, everyone is of Han Chinese descent and Chinese blood. They should have one heart and one mind, seek common development, watch and help each other, and unanimously subdue the land. People resisted. Now, these two families are in conflict, wishing to put each other to death."

"Shaoqing is right." An Guangyue said with a wry smile: "If there is no Qi State in the Luzon area to deter this place, the two of them will definitely fight to the death. The enmity 30 years ago will never be forgotten by Wei. And For the sake of the future, the Zheng family of Luzon also wants to annex the entire Luzon Island. In this short period of time, the conflict between the two families may not be resolved."

In February of this year, Wei Wang Cheng Guangyin was seriously ill when he was touring the northern region, and eventually died in Gaozhou (now Naya City at the southern tip of Luzon Island).

After hearing the news, Cheng Shiqi, the prince who stayed in Yizhou, immediately led all the civil and military officials to drive to Gaozhou to welcome the coffin of the late King Wei back to the capital.With the support of several veteran ministers, Cheng Shiqi sent envoys to Hanzhou to report the funeral and request canonization, and at the same time began to prepare for the succession ceremony to stabilize the situation in the country.

However, Cheng Shihong, the eldest prince of Weiguo and the commander of the Shenhuo Army, who was leading troops to attack Rajasultan Kingdom in Puduan, eastern Mindanao, suddenly announced that the death of King Wei was poisoned by Prince Cheng Shiqi, intending to ascend the throne early and usurp the throne.

Therefore, he immediately withdrew his troops from Mindanao and returned to the north, and stationed in Kaihua Fort in the west of Longshan Island (now Jiabayu, a city in the west of Samar Island), declaring that he would kill the rebellious prince and avenge his father. Save the country from sinking.

Prince Cheng Shiqi heard about it, and immediately confronted him, announcing Cheng Shihong as a rebel, and at the same time exempting him from the positions of General Zhengnan and Commander of the Shenhuo Army, and mobilizing national troops in Yizhou to prepare for a crusade.

Seeing the domestic turmoil in Wei, the Zheng family of Lu Song was ready to move, and began to mobilize the domestic military, preparing to take advantage of the fire to loot and seize the territory of Wei.

Seeing this situation, the Luzon General Administration of Qi State became a little uneasy.What's happening here?Damn it, is Weiguo going to stage a battle for the throne?
I'm afraid the entire Luzon region is about to fall into chaos!

As the maintainer of order in the Luzon area, and also the suzerain of the Luzon Zheng family and the Wei State, Qi State naturally has the obligation to quell the disputes in the area and nip all signs of turmoil in the bud.

The Luzon Command District, the Luzon Squadron, and the Luzon Garrison Area immediately began to mobilize for combat readiness. At the same time, they also sent several envoys to Longzhou (now Manila, Philippines), Yizhou, and Kaihua to warn them not to act without permission. Be sure to exercise restraint.Otherwise, Qi State will intervene by force as necessary.

It stands to reason that after King Wei passed away, Cheng Shiqi, as the heir apparent, succeeded to the throne. There was no problem with reason and reason, and it was in line with the legal system of the country.

But in this world, there is no shortage of ambitious people.Since the age of 14, the eldest prince of the Wei Kingdom, Cheng Shihong, has followed the King of Wei Cheng Guangyin to fight in the north and south, exterminate the natives, and expand the territory of the Wei Kingdom in the Luzon Islands.Moreover, he led troops to participate in large-scale wars in the region with Qi State several times, flanked the Qing captives in the northern coastal area of ​​Ming Dynasty, crossed the sea to attack the Japanese Satsuma Domain, and conquered Guangnan Kingdom in the west.

In January of this year, Cheng Shihong was appointed as the General of Conquering the South. He led [-] troops and more than [-] large and small warships. He went south to conquer the Puduan Raja Sultan Kingdom, and planned to take the territory to the east of the Central Plateau of Mindanao that the Qi State allowed under his jurisdiction. .

Considering that he has made great contributions to the country, and is also in charge of the commander of the elite firearms army in the country, Cheng Shihong came up with the idea of ​​seizing the throne by force and achieving hegemony.

Of course, he also knew that if he wanted to gain a foothold in the Luzon area and become the king of Wei, he must not bypass Qi.Therefore, while leading troops to Kaihua Fort, he sent his confidantes to Runing, where Qi State's Luzon District was resident, to seek Qi State's support.

In addition to repeatedly explaining to the people of Qi, the late King Wei must have been murdered by the prince Cheng Shiqi, a traitor who murdered his father and usurped the throne. Cheng Shihong raised troops to cut off the traitor.In addition, he also promised that once he obtains the support of the Qi State and assumes the throne of defending the king, he will give up his territorial claim on Mindanao, and only retain the three big islands he currently owns and the surrounding small islands. Open all domestic markets and mine development rights, and give Qi merchants more preferential terms for trade.

Lu Shangping, chief executive of Luzon District of Qi State, sneered at the conditions promised by Cheng Shihong. The eastern part of Mindanao was promised to you by Qi State, and it has not been fully occupied. It is still in tug-of-war with the local Sudanese Kingdom , Just like this, I still want to be a favor and give it back to us Qi.

As for preferential terms of trade, how can your poor and weak industrial foundation and commercial power of Wei State compete against the surging capital of Qi State? The circulating currency you use is mainly the Hanzhou silver dollar of our Qi country.

The several copper mines and gold mines developed by your Wei country may be a good investment project in the eyes of many Ming and Nanyang merchants.But is my country Qi really rare?Not to mention that my Hanzhou mainland and Weiyuan Island have countless gold, silver, copper, iron, coal and other minerals, even the few islands under the jurisdiction of my Luzon District have less mineral reserves than your Weiguo.

Furthermore, according to the report from the spies of the black guards stationed in the country, the late King Wei was indeed seriously ill and died.Crown Prince Cheng Shiqi is the eldest son of Queen Wei, and has also won the support of most Wei officials and generals. Succession to the throne is naturally in line with the law.

And this Cheng Shi Hongli was stunned, raised his troops to seize the throne, and tried to return to Yizhou City by relying on the thousands of elite firearms troops in his hands. He is the real one who seeks to usurp the throne.

Although the Luzon General District has a certain right to act arbitrarily, this kind of matter is related to the replacement of the vassal throne, and it also involves domestic disputes. If there is a slight carelessness, there will be a risk of civil war. Careless handling.

On the one hand, at the request of Weiguo, he ordered more than [-] officers and soldiers of the Ninth Battalion of the Army stationed in Huining to station in Yizhou. The situation in Song Dynasty was reported to Chang'an, waiting for the final instructions from His Majesty the Emperor and the cabinet.

Chang'an's reaction was relatively quick. Less than four months after the incident, the cabinet sent a delegation headed by Honglu Temple Shaoqing Bi Shaode to Luzon to completely resolve the chaotic situation in Luzon.
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On July 7, Kaihua Fort.

Cheng Shihong's face was ashen, and he looked at the black-clothed guard Yuwu Xiaowei (captain) in front of him unwillingly, and asked in a hissed voice: "Is this the final decision of your country?"

"Yes, this is the final decision of our country of Qi." Xie Chengrong said solemnly: "Our special envoy of the country of Qi has arrived in Yizhou and brought with him the canonized edict of His Majesty the emperor. In a few days, the crown prince Cheng Shiqi will be officially announced as the new guard. King of the Kingdom, and preside over the succession ceremony at a later date."

"Why didn't your country of Qi choose me?" Cheng Shihong showed an angry look on his face, "You know, no matter how you look at it, I am much better than that useless prince who is born in the deep palace and knows nothing about the world!  … Why?"

"Why?" Xie Chengrong looked at Cheng Shihong coldly, "Just because he is the crown prince of your country of Wei, the heir to the throne designated by your father. Moreover, he has also been recognized by my country of Qi, and he is ordered by His Majesty the Emperor." !"

"But I... I'm not reconciled!" Cheng Shihong stared at the other party, "What if I should not be ordered by your country of Qi and insist on returning to Yizhou?"

"Hehe..." Xie Chengrong smiled, "You can try. However, I don't think you and your troops will be able to reach Yizhou at all."

"..." Cheng Shihong stopped speaking immediately after hearing the words.

Qi State deployed a squadron in Luzon, with six professional warships. Although the number is small, the more than ten warships owned by the Wei State Navy have been placed under the unified command of the Qi State Navy.The naval officers and soldiers were even trained by Qi Guo. The fleet commander was also the former trusted general Chu Dehong of King Wei, and the prince's father-in-law. He had nothing to do with Cheng Shihong at all.

If he wanted to use the dozens of large and small merchant ships in his hands to transfer his troops back to Yizhou, he would probably be beaten by the Qi Wei Navy halfway to the sea to feed the fish.

"Of course, you can also try to separate Longshan Island. But I don't think you can last long."

"..." Cheng Shihong looked a little downcast.

Although Longshan Island has a large area, it is the third largest island in Luzon.But this island has been conquered by the Wei State for less than ten years, and the immigrant population is only 7 to [-], and they are all distributed in the northern and western coastal areas.In terms of the absolute command of the sea held by Qi State, it is extremely vulnerable to attack.Moreover, there are many "disobedient" native tribes inside the island, and they will attack coastal towns and strongholds from time to time.

What is even more worrying is, will the army under his command follow him wholeheartedly and continue to rebel after learning that Qi State will not support him in seizing the throne and becoming queen?
"If I give up, how will your country of Qi... deal with us?" Cheng Shihong asked.

"There are two options. One, let go of everything, bring your family to Hanzhou, and spend the rest of your life in peace." Xie Chengrong said: "Second, if you are unwilling, you can bring someone who is willing to follow you. The officers and soldiers exiled to Borneo collectively, and competed with the natives there for a place to live, thinking that they would be self-reliant."

Cheng Shihong's expression changed when he heard the words, and he looked at his younger brother Cheng Shiyin.

"...Brother, I'll listen to you." Cheng Shiyin hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice.

"If..., if we want to go to Borneo, we must have a place to stay in the early stage." Cheng Shihong sighed.

"We will persuade the Kingdom of Sulu to lend you Shibadi Island in Borneo as a temporary settlement." Xie Chengrong said with a smile: "In the future, how much can you take from the nearby Brunei Sultan Kingdom and Belau Sultan Kingdom? The territory depends on your own ability."

"Does your Qi State... support us?" Cheng Shihong looked at Xie Chengrong expectantly, "In the future, if we can establish a country and a system, we will definitely regard your Qi State as the suzerain, generations of vassals, at our disposal."

"As for whether you want to support you, it depends on whether you have the qualifications and value." Xie Chengrong said meaningfully: "If you are unbearable, your abilities are not good, and the natives are wiped out instead, then our support is also worth it." It doesn't make any sense. Don't you think so, Your Highness?"

"The local people are ignorant and backward in development. In my eyes, they are nothing more than native chickens and dogs." Cheng Shihong said disdainfully: "As long as your country of Qi is willing to give some firearms and other materials, we will definitely build another one no less than that." A powerful vassal state of Wei."

As night fell, the envoy of Qi State had left for a long time, but Cheng Shihong was still sitting in the dark room without making any movement.

"...Brother?" Cheng Shiyin walked in gently holding an oil lamp.

Faced with a ray of light that suddenly appeared, Cheng Shihong suddenly woke up from his contemplation, squinted his eyes and looked over.

"How many people in the army are willing to go with us to Borneo?"

"Except for the two battalion commanders of the Shenhuo Army, Deng Chenggen and Lu Zhiping, who do not want to go, everyone else is willing to follow me to Borneo to seek a prosperous future."

"Where's the Lingwei Army?"

"...Only [-]% of the people are willing to go."

"..." Cheng Shihong was stunned for a moment when he heard the words, and then he smiled wryly, "Hehe..., yes, Borneo is a wild place, full of poisonous insects and beasts, and full of miasma, it is not a good place. The 2000 people who followed us were also inspired by the kindness of our brothers for more than ten years."

"Brother, don't be discouraged." Cheng Shiyin said with relief: "In the past, when Qi State started in Hanzhou, its population was only a thousand people and its ships were only a few ships, but it has become like this more than [-] years later. My younger brother thinks, We left the country of Wei and explored Borneo, and decades later, although we may not have the prestige of the Qi country, we can... also make a big difference."

"Haha..." Cheng Shihong looked at his insincere brother and laughed loudly, "One moment, another moment! Now that the Ming dynasty is reunified and the country is becoming more and more stable, not to mention how many people are willing to leave their homes and immigrate overseas, even if there are, Why don't they choose the richer state of Qi? If they are afraid of thousands of miles of sea waves and dangerous roads, Annan, Zheng's, Wei, and even Shun, which is about to be established, are all good choices. Then, they can't get supplements from immigrants. How much power can we expand with only two thousand people?"

"...Brother?" Cheng Shiyin was even more worried when he heard this.

"However, the crown prince has succeeded to the throne, and we have held the military power of the Shenhuo Army for a long time. How can he tolerate our brothers?" Cheng Shihong probed: "Therefore, there is no place for us to stay in Weiguo."

"Brother, since we have nowhere to go in Weiguo, and we have no chance to go to Borneo, what should we do?"

"That's why it's better to go to Qi State completely." Cheng Shihong said decisively: "We will use the more than 2000 troops we have at hand as a knife for the people of Qi State to expand their territories in Borneo. If we think about it, even if we can't establish a country in the future , but it is also indispensable to be rich and prominent, and to be able to shade your descendants."